Accused killer seeks to defend himself

A defendant suspected of beating a Jacksonville man before shooting him and leaving his bound body in the trunk of a car in Elkton said Wednesday he wants to defend himself in what may become a death penalty case.

Henderson has been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, a capital offense, as well as kidnapping, a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison. Henderson said again he wanted to act as his own lawyer, even though he has a 12th-grade education and no legal training.

"Just me training myself every day. In the jailhouse," he said.

The defendant told Berger he is familiar with the legal process, citing a 30-year sentence he's serving now.

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Henderson was sentenced Feb. 4 in Duval County as a felon in possession of a gun or ammunition.

Henderson, Sharina Jadne Parker and Rodrick D'Anthony Williams -- all from Jacksonville -- have been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and kidnapping in the death of James Vincent Brookins.

Brookins' body was discovered in the trunk of a 2008 Toyota Corolla parked on a dirt road off St. Ambrose Church Road in Elkton on April 28, 2010, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators with the Sheriff's Office said at the time that Brookins, 45, was believed to have been killed in retaliation for an armed robbery during a drug deal.

Officers later learned that Brookins had nothing to do with the robbery, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Parker has a pre-trial date set for Aug. 11; Williams is scheduled for Sept. 12.

The State Attorney's Office still has not decided whether to seek the death penalty for the three defendants.